PlayStation Plus has announced its free games for April 2026, and there’s a good mix of titles available. The main highlight is The Lords of the Fallen, a strong sequel to the 2014 game, offering classic soulslike gameplay with a unique dual-world mechanic. Anime fans will enjoy Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream on PS5, which surprisingly includes a single-player mode in addition to its 20-player multiplayer and features 21 characters from the series. But the most intriguing addition is Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered.
The recent update for Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered caused some issues with music, subtitles, and introduced AI skins, but a follow-up update on March 31 fixed many of these problems. This timing was fortunate, especially with the game now available on PS Plus Essential, making it a good value for subscribers. However, the real issue isn’t the game’s quality – it’s that these remasters contradict Sony’s previous statements about PS4 games on PS Plus.
PS Plus Essential Has Yet to Make Good on Sony’s Planned End of an Era
Last year, Sony said that PS4 games wouldn’t be a major perk of the basic PS Plus subscription starting in 2026. Subscribers have been expecting changes ever since, but so far, nothing has happened. Four months into 2026, PS Plus Essential is still offering at least one PS4 game each month, and these are the titles added so far this year:
- Epic Mickey Remastered (January)
- Core Keeper (January)
- Subnautica: Below Zero (February)
- Ultros (February)
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (February)
- Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road Collection (March)
- Monster Hunter Rise (March)
- Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered (April)
Although Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered is available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, it’s essentially a bundle of older PlayStation 1 games. This contradicts Sony’s claim that certain benefits, like this collection, would be exclusive to PlayStation 5 owners with PS Plus Essential subscriptions.
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Looking at the game list, Ace Combat 7 from February is unique because it’s only available on PS4. All the other PS4 games also have PS5 versions you can download. With new games coming for PS4 every month in 2026, it seems like Sony has either changed its plans or stopped focusing on PS4 support. Or, perhaps Sony is slowly encouraging players to switch to PS5 games – April only has one PS4 title, while other months have two or three. For now, it appears PS4 versions are still a perk of the service, even if it doesn’t feel that way.
Why PS Plus Essential Keeping PS4 Games Around Is Ultimately a Good Thing
It’s possible that removing PS4 games from PS Plus could open the door for more PS5-only titles. However, the current generation of consoles had a slow start due to factors like scalpers, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the large number of existing PS4 owners. This led many games to be released on both PS4 and PS5. If PS Plus Essential only offered PS5 games, it would significantly reduce the number of titles Sony could choose from, potentially leading to less appealing monthly selections, even if the total number of games stayed the same.
Even if Sony switched to offering only PS5 games with the Essential tier and maintained the same number and quality of titles, removing PS4 games would still be disappointing. Many players still use their PS4s and rely on PS Plus for online play, so the free Essential games help offset the cost. Because so many people haven’t upgraded to PS5, losing access to PS4 games on the service would be a real downside. Ideally, Sony will continue to offer both PS4 and PS5 versions of games, even if older, PS4-only titles like Ace Combat 7 are eventually removed, as this benefits everyone. Players should appreciate this current situation while it lasts, because Sony could stop offering PS4 games on PS Plus Essential at any time.
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2026-04-03 16:34